A Heart to Bear (Bear Creek Forever #4)

Chapter Fifteen – Tammy

He was going to be okay.

At least if she had anything to do with it.

But life was not that simple. Just because she wanted the injured lion to make a full recovery didn’t mean that would be the outcome.

Tammy glanced at the four bears, who had valiantly carried the lion down from the ridge. She only hoped moving him hadn’t been the wrong decision.

If he died… No, she was not even going to let that idea sneak into her head.

He was going to make it. All they had to do was take things one step at a time. And that next step was to get him safely into the back of Ezra’s truck.

Easy. After all, they had gotten this far.

“Who’s there?” Old Ma’s voice called out from the direction of the house.

Things were about to get even more interesting.

But they didn’t have time to explain. Every second counted.

“I’ll handle it,” Ezra said as he dropped the tailgate of the truck. “I brought your bag, too, Tammy.”

“And your uncle.” The passenger door opened, and Uncle Gavin climbed out.

“What are you doing here?” Tammy did not hide her relief as she left the lion’s side and went to her uncle.

“I figured you might need a hand,” Uncle Gavin said. “Not that I thought you couldn’t handle things on your own. But this is…” He shook his head. “A lion.”

“It’s a what?!” Old Ma Hinchcliffe’s voice pierced the air.

“Does she have the hearing of a shifter?” Tammy asked.

“What are you Thornberg boys all doing here?” Old Ma stormed toward them.

“Old Ma, we’ll be out of here in a few minutes,” Ezra hurried after Old Ma as she strode toward them.

“But what I want to know is why you are all here in the first place. And what was that about a lion?” Old Ma barked. “Gavin! Is that you? What are you doing here? I wouldn’t have expected you to be involved in some Thornberg shenanigans.”

“Thornberg shenanigans?” Ezra asked as he finally caught up with Old Ma.

“Oh my goodness, it is a lion.” Old Ma stumbled backward and trod on Ezra’s foot.

As she flailed her arms to keep her balance, Ezra reached out and helped steady her. “I got you.”

Old Ma clung to him as she leaned forward, peering at the injured lion. Her eyes widened with a mix of fear and fascination. “Where on earth did you find this creature? And what in heaven’s name are you planning to do with it?”

Tammy stepped forward, her voice calm as she tried to explain, “We found him injured on the ridge.”

“On the ridge?” Old Ma asked. “Is this the creature that spooked Hercules?”

“We think so.” Dougray came to stand next to Tammy.

“You think he was after my animals?” Old Ma asked.

“He’s in no fit state to hunt,” Tammy replied. “Maybe he was looking for help.”

At this suggestion, Old Ma relaxed a little. “He looks near dead.”

“Which is why we need to get him in the back of the truck and back to the clinic.” Uncle Gavin limped over to them. “We’ll take care of it.”

Old Ma pressed her lips together and then gave a nod. “Go on with you, then. He won’t last long if you all stand around talking.”

Tammy let out a long breath and smothered a smile. “We’ll take good care of him.”

“Do you want me to see you back inside the house?” Ezra asked.

“Why? Don’t you think I can find my own way back?” Old Ma had already turned around, walking away. “I’ve lived here long enough. I know every inch of the place. I only tripped because your foot was where it wasn’t supposed to be.”

“How could you try to trip up Old Ma?” Dougray asked Ezra with a teasing tone. Ezra rolled his eyes but didn’t dignify the jibe with a response.

Instead, he turned his attention back to the task at hand. “All right, let’s get this big guy loaded up.”

“It’s gonna take some effort,” Henry said, gesturing to the lion. “We’re going to have to do this with manpower, not bear power.”

“We had an idea,” Uncle Gavin said as they all headed back to the truck where the lion shifter was lying on the ground.

“Yeah, when I told Gavin about the lion, he suggested we bring this.” Ezra opened the tailgate and dragged out a strong tarp.

“I figured if four of you take hold of a corner, and one of you grab one side, and Tammy and I on the other,” Uncle Gavin explained. “Not that Tammy and I are as strong as one of you boys.” He shrugged. “But as long as we keep the tarp steady and don’t let the lion roll off, we should be fine.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Henry nodded as he gnawed at his bottom lip. “We’ve used a similar setup when carrying people out of collapsed buildings.”

“Henry is a firefighter,” Dougray told Tammy.

“Ah, that’s why you have such a calm control over situations like these,” Tammy said, her admiration evident in her voice. Henry ducked his head, a faint blush coloring his cheeks.

“All right, let’s do this,” Ezra commanded, taking charge of the situation. “Henry, you take the front right corner. Dougray, you’re on front left. I’ll take back right, and...”

“I’ve got back left.” Levi held up his hand.

“And I’ll get the side,” Klein said.

The group worked together seamlessly, positioning themselves around the tarp. With a synchronized effort, they carefully rolled the lion onto the makeshift stretcher. Tammy winced as she heard a low groan escape from the creature’s muzzle.

“Easy now,” Uncle Gavin instructed as they lifted the tarp. “Steady...steady...”

The lion’s massive form sagged in the center of the tarp, its golden fur matted with blood and dirt. Tammy’s heart raced as they inched toward the truck, each step careful and measured.

“Almost there,” Dougray encouraged, his muscles straining under the weight.

As they neared the tailgate, Tammy glimpsed the lion’s face. Its eyes, barely open, met hers for a brief moment. She saw pain there, but also a flicker of something else—intelligence, awareness. It sent a shiver down her spine.

With a final heave, they managed to slide the tarp onto the truck bed. Tammy immediately climbed in and checked his vitals and his wound.

“Hang in there, big guy,” she murmured. “We’re going to take good care of you.”

“How’s he looking?” Dougray asked, his voice laced with concern.

“No better, no worse,” Tammy replied.

“Okay, Tammy and I will travel in the back with him…” Uncle Gavin began.

“No,” Tammy said quickly. “You should ride in the front. You don’t want to aggravate that ankle of yours.”

Uncle Gavin looked down at his ankle and cursed under his breath.

“Hey.” Dougray placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’ll be better help to this lion when we get him back to the clinic if you are not in any pain.”

Uncle Gavin sighed and then gave a resigned nod. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

Tammy nodded. “I’ll keep him stable and try to assess him on the way.”

“Dougray, why don’t you ride in the back with Tammy?” Henry suggested.

“We’ll meet you back at the clinic,” Klein said as he and Levi backed away.

“What about Sunshine?” Tammy asked. The horse had followed behind them as they carried the lion down the mountain and was now standing eating grass near the truck.

“I’ll take care of Sunshine,” Ezra offered, already moving toward the horse. “I’ll take her back to the ranch and then meet you all at the clinic.”

Tammy nodded gratefully, her attention already returning to the injured lion. As Dougray climbed into the truck bed beside her, Ezra started the engine.

“Hold on tight,” Ezra called back to them. “I’ll try to take it easy, but we need to get there fast.”

The truck lurched forward, and Tammy braced herself against the side, one hand resting on the lion’s flank. She could feel the shallow rise and fall of his breathing, each inhale a struggle.

As they bounced down the dirt road, Tammy stared at the lion. She’d treated plenty of injured animals before, but never anything like this. A lion shifter was a whole different ballgame.

“How’s he doing? The wound sure looks nasty,” Dougray asked.

“He’s hanging in there. Once we get back to the clinic and get him on antibiotics and fluids, he should make a full recovery,” Tammy replied, trying to keep her voice steady. “As long as there are no further complications.”

Dougray scooted closer, his presence comforting as they made their way slowly along the mountain roads. “No further complications?”

She glanced up at Dougray, his brow furrowed with concern. “Well, there’s always a risk of infection with wounds like this. And we don’t know how long he’s been out here, so dehydration and exposure are concerns, too. Plus, he’s a shifter. There might be...unique complications.”

Dougray nodded solemnly. “You’re worried about him not being able to shift interfering with healing?”

“Exactly,” Tammy confirmed, her fingers gently probing the lion’s wound. “Do you have any idea why he can’t shift?”

“Not really. The only other person I have ever met who could not shift was an ex-soldier, and he was suffering from PTSD, if I recall.”

The truck hit a particularly rough patch of road, jostling them. The lion let out a low growl of pain, and Tammy quickly placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

“Shh, it’s okay,” she murmured. “We’re almost there.”

Dougray watched her work with admiration. “You’re fantastic at this, you know. Henry isn’t the only one who is good at keeping calm under pressure.”

Tammy gave a small, wry smile. “Well, after everything that’s happened lately, I suppose I’ve had plenty of practice staying calm in stressful situations.”

Dougray’s expression softened with understanding. “Right, the wedding... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up painful memories.”

“It’s okay,” Tammy said, her focus still on the lion. “In a way, it’s almost a relief to have something else to worry about. At least this is a problem I might actually be able to solve.”

The truck lurched again, and Tammy steadied herself against Dougray’s shoulder. For a moment, she was acutely aware of his warmth, the solid strength of him beside her.

“We’re almost there,” Dougray said.

“How do you know…” She nodded. “Your shifter senses strike again.”

“They do.”

“And your brothers, are they close?” Tammy asked.

“They’ll be here in a couple of minutes,” Dougray confirmed.

“They must run fast,” Tammy said.

“They took a more direct route over the mountains, while we drove the long way around.” Dougray glanced at the lion once more. “And he went slow to keep this guy from rolling around in the back here.”

Tammy shifted her attention from the lion to Dougray and leaned on his shoulder for a moment. “You Thornbergs are a force to be reckoned with, aren’t you?”

He slid his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, dropping a kiss on her forehead. “We do what we can for whoever needs our help. But it’s no more than most people in this town would do for those in need.”

“I want to be a part of that,” she murmured.

“You already are,” Dougray assured her. “I hope tonight proved that to you…because the rest of us already knew.”